News or Noise

This worksheet helps students in Grades 5, 6, and 7 practice evaluating informational text by distinguishing between credible news and misleading AI-generated content. Through close reading, evidence-based reasoning, and written explanations, students strengthen media literacy, critical thinking, bias detection, credibility analysis, and informational text evaluation while learning how artificial intelligence can produce convincing but unreliable news-like writing.

Learning Goals

• Evaluating Credibility (Grades 5-7) – Students analyze short passages to determine whether they represent trustworthy news or misleading “noise.”
• Identifying Red Flags – Learners recognize exaggeration, vague statistics, emotionally charged language, and unsupported claims.
• Written Reasoning Skills – Students explain their classifications using clear, text-based evidence.
• Media Literacy Awareness – The activity builds understanding of how AI-generated content can mimic real journalism.

Instructional Support

• Teacher-Designed Resource – Created to align with ELA and social studies standards for informational text analysis.
• Easy to Implement – Suitable for whole-class lessons, small groups, independent practice, or discussion-based activities.
• Engaging Format – Short snippets keep students focused while encouraging careful rereading and annotation.
• Supports Skill Development – Helps reluctant writers by combining short explanations with critical thinking tasks.

This printable worksheet supports students in developing media literacy, critical reading, credible source evaluation, and written justification skills. By learning to spot warning signs such as hype-based language, missing evidence, and exaggerated claims, students become more thoughtful consumers of information. Whether used in a classroom or homeschool setting, this resource builds confidence in analyzing news, understanding AI’s role in misinformation, and making informed judgments about what to trust.

This worksheet is part of our Spotting AI Worksheets collection.